1. Field of the Invention
The present invention specifically relates to a SELF-CLOSING HOODED COVER FOR A STRINGED MUSICAL INSTRUMENT (hereafter referred to as the self-closing hooded cover), which has the capabilities for providing protection to various stringed instruments from the deleterious effects of dust and debris, in addition to providing protection to the instrument's finish from scratches and minor impacts. The invention further provides additional protection from the damaging effects of exposure to infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight, and exposure to harsh environmental elements when the instrument is employed in outdoor settings i.e. amphitheatres, stadiums or open halls wherein instances for such exposure may exist. An embodiment of the invention provides for the opportunity for a performer or group to promote themselves by inserting a user customized graphic message into a pouch on the front of the self-closing hooded cover. In another embodiment the self-closing hooded cover may be converted to a lightweight carrying bag or case cover to also provide a convenient means of transporting the self-closing hooded cover for a musical instrument, while simultaneously providing an additional element of protection to the stringed musical instrument and/or its case. A method whereby an individual user may facilitate the routine use of the self-closing hooded cover is also disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
An effective means for protecting stringed musical instruments when they are not enclosed in their case or in use from various environmental effects such as dust and debris from settling upon them, the effects of exposure to infrared (IR) and ultraviolet (UV) radiation from sunlight and the consequences of moisture and temperature that may be encountered in outdoor amphitheatres have long been sought. The deleterious effects of dust have ranged from minor nuisances such as requiring the musician to spend time to clean the instrument before playing it; to the more severe instances wherein the dust may interfere with the ability of electric pickups to perform properly. The typical means of addressing this issue is to place the instrument in its case, where it may enjoy the benefits of an environment that shields the instrument from dust, debris, moisture, light radiation and impact damage (in the case of rigid (hard shell) cases). However, the downside of this approach is that it requires a more concerted effort to be manifested on behalf of the musician to retrieve the instrument from this domain and set it up. In other words, cases present the paradox of representing the maximum of protection for the instrument, while simultaneously presenting a minimum of accessibility and a maximum inconvenience. Further, the use of a case in these instances does not accord well with the spontaneity that is an elemental aspect of a musician's nature. Hence, an instrument tends to be played more when it is readily available and can be left on its stand at the constant ready to serve an individual's beckon call. As such, there have been numerous attempts to provide the benefits extolled by cases over the years with mixed results based both on their acceptance by users and their ability to truly make the instrument more available while offering some minimum level of protection. These attempts have run the gamut from the relatively simple to the more involved, respective examples are expressed by the Drapester®3 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,288 B1, Guitar Cover for Protecting Guitar Supported on Guitar Stand, by Eddie Fong Cheung Lin, (‘288 Patent’), which is marketed as TUKI Covers®4. The Drapester® is merely a swath of fabric of a predetermined size and geometry which is proportional to the instrument to be covered that is merely draped over the stringed instrument while it is on its stand. The Drapester® does not provide a contoured fit to the instrument and leaves a great deal of the instrument exposed. The Drapester® only serves to limit the settling of dust and debris that may be deposited upon the instrument in a vertical plane to the instrument, and does little to provide protection from those environmental factors that do not impinge the Drapester® in a normal plane. The Drapester® also does not provide an adequate enclosure for the instrument against accidental low velocity impacts as the instrument is only partially covered and the Drapester® does not maintain its positional relationship to the instrument in instances wherein the instrument would be displaced from its stand. This is due to the fact that the Drapester® is maintained in its position on the stringed instrument by counterbalancing its weight, which is achieved by draping a length of the fabric over the scroll or head of the instrument, such that the weight equals that of the fabric on the front of the instrument offset by the tangent of the stand. It should also be noted that as the angle of the stand approaches 90° (normal) that the size of the Drapester® increases to satisfy the requirements to adequately cover the instrument and maintain its position using this counterbalancing approach. 3 Drapester® is a registered trademark of GekkoTek, LLC 241 N. Clark Avenue, Los Altos, Calif. 940224 TUKI Covers® is the registered trademark of TUKI International, Inc. 5060 Coosaw Creek Blvd. N., Charleston, N.C. 29420
The ‘288 Patent’ by Lin (hereafter the TUKI Cover®) overcomes a number of the shortfalls presented by the Drapester® by providing a tubular cover having a zippered slit about the backside to accommodate the appurtenances of the stand, a zipper to join the two front sides together and a hood formed by closing flaps about the topmost portion of the cover with snap-hook closures. The TUKI Cover® while it provides for a more contoured fit still does not completely eliminate the exposure of the stringed instrument to environmental elements as there exists no closed bottom and the back features a zippered slot. The zippered slot serves to allow a user to close the slot about the musical instrument stand, which serves to aid in securing the TUKI Cover® on the stand, while closing a portion of the slot. This does act to reduce some of the environmental exposure; however the exposure is directly proportional to the distance between the support arms of the instrument stand. The TUKI Cover® also requires greater effort and more attention to detail to employ than the Drapester®, which requires a negligible effort to use.
Also both the Drapester® and TUKI Cover® both require that they be stowed and transported separately from the stringed instrument. This dictates that most musicians will have to attend to an additional piece of gear that must be transported and handled over the course of their engagements.
Given the multitude of shortcomings and disadvantages regarding the existing approaches to protecting a string instrument from dust and other environmental elements it would be desirable to have an affordable and convenient solution within the grasp of the average consumer of this commodity that could allow the stringed instrument to be completely covered by a cover that would employ a minimum of effort, while offering additional low velocity impact protection and having a convenient means of transporting the cover from various engagements. The present invention satisfies such a need.